Missouri quarterback James Franklin was forced to come out of the Georgia game for a play three weeks ago when his helmet came off during play. (Associated Press)

In enacting
a new rule this year that takes players out of the game, the NCAA hoped to
decrease the instances of players' helmets coming off during play.

So far,
it hasn't. But Steve Shaw, the SEC's coordinator of officials, said that it's
still too early to judge whether the rule, which forces players whose helmets
come off to sit out the next play, is having an impact.

"We tracked this last year ... and we were just
over three helmets coming off per game," Shaw said last week. "Nationally, we're
at 3.2 helmets off per game (this year in the FBS). It would be easy to say, 'Well,
this new rule really didn't make a difference,' but I think it's too early to
say that because what's just now happening is teams are getting these 3.2
helmets off per game, but now you get a critical player (sitting out a play) at
a critical time and it catches attention.

"It's
heightened awareness, so that's a good thing. We haven't seen a decline in the
numbers, but I think it's taken us a few weeks to say, 'OK, wow, I've lost some
critical players in critical situations. We've really got to focus on this
more.'"

Missouri
coach Gary Pinkel got the message three weeks ago, when starting quarterback
James Franklin was forced to leave the game against Georgia when his helmet
popped off after a hit.

"He was
in a scrum, a big pile of players," Pinkel said of Franklin. "It wasn't because
it wasn't snapped that it slid off. You couldn't tell what happened underneath there.
... One was a third-down play when we were backed up on our 10-yard line. It
presents a problem. We're going to try to get the snaps better on his helmet. I
don't know really what else to do.

"I just
hope it doesn't happen again. I've been doing this for 35 years and have never
had to pull a quarterback out for a play and put him back in. And by the way,
he didn't take his helmet off."

Players
whose helmets come off as the result of a personal foul, such as a defender
grabbing his facemask, are not subject to the new rule. But Shaw said many of
the helmets that come off during play simply weren't tightened or snapped
properly.

"You have
to go and really dissect the film, but we've seen a lot of helmets off where no
buckles came loose, the chinstrap's still there, but yet it's off," Shaw said. "You
have to think with a lot of those that maybe that thing wasn't fitted just
right or tightened up.

"A lot of
players wear these skull caps that are kind of silky and then they get wet and
there's very little friction there," he added. "I even heard that there were
some trainers looking at a redesign on the skull cap to get more friction. It's
a combination of things across the board that has kind of caused it. This is
something we need to get a handle on and keep this from being an issue."

Changing
habits takes time, however. Shaw said the players clearly understand the new rule.
Hopefully, the numbers of helmets popping off will soon start tracking downward
as a result.

"Ninety-plus percent of the players, when
their helmet pops off, they don't even look for an official," Shaw said. "We don't have to
send them out or catch them. They just grab their helmet and run off to the
sideline. They know it, and they're out.

"So I think it's too early to tell. The 3.2 is the average through three weeks of the season. Your
hope is that begins to trend down. We'll just have to wait and see."